Fr. Mark Ross, Pastor

Fr. Vernon Knight,
Parochial Vicar

• Daily Reflection/Homily

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Prayer For Expressing Gratitude

Gracious God, in the busy-ness of our day, we sometimes forget to stop to thank you for all that is good in our lives. Our blessings are many and our hearts are filled with gratefulness for the gift of living, for the ability to love and be loved, for the opportunity to see the everyday wonders of creation, for sleep and water, for a mind that thinks and a body that feels.

We thank you, too for those things in our lives that are less than we would hope them to be: things that seem challenging, unfair, or difficult. When our hearts feel stretched and empty, and pools of tears form in our weary eyes, still we rejoice that you are as near to us as our next breath and that in the midst of turbulence, we are growing and learning. In the silence of our souls, we thank you most of all for your unconditional and eternal love. We make this prayer through the greatest gift of all, Your Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Amen! Amen!

MY OWN CHURCH

SAINT MARY ON THE HILL

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am very happy to report that the diocese is allowing us to begin the process of reopening. Beginning on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th, we will have our 9:15 a.m. Mass and then the next day our normal daily Masses will begin. The first return to the Sunday Mass will be the Vigil Mass for Pentecost at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 30th.

The six foot social distancing is to be maintained except for family members. You are encouraged to wear a mask but it is not mandatory. We have been instructed to allow for 25% capacity for attendance at the Mass. This means that we are going to have an overflow Mass for the 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass on Saturday and for the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday in the Parish Hall. We will also be adding a Mass on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. and on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m..

Below is the schedule that we will be following.

Masses
Daily Masses will resume on Monday, May 25, 2020 with the 9:15 am Mass.

Sunday Masses will resume on Saturday, May 30, (Vigil) & Sunday, May 31, 2020
Mass times: Saturday (Vigil) - 5:00 pm & 6:30 pm
Sunday - 7:45 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:15 pm & 5:30 pm

Reconciliation
Confessions will resume inside the Church
on Wednesdays, 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm and Saturdays, 3:45 - 4:45 pm

Adoration
Pro-Life Holy Hour will resume on Wednesdays, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Adoration Chapel will remain close for now. We will let you know when it is reopened.

Parish Office Hours
Monday, May 25, 2020 the Parish Office will be closed in observance of Memorial Day.
Tuesday through Friday: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

I, like you, have found this present situation very frustrating and confusing. It is such a good feeling to see that we are headed back to some sense of normalcy even if it is a slow process.

Please do not be discouraged in coming to Mass thinking you might be turned away because we would have reached the 25% limit. We will have the overflows for two Masses and the two extra Mass times. Also we will have some seating in the Narthex and we will be using the Day Chapel. Please consider coming to one of the extra Masses and be willing to attend Mass in the Parish Hall.

- We will not have missalettes or hymnals in the pews.
- We will not offer the Sign of Peace to each other.
- No distribution of the Precious Blood, only the Consecrated Host.
- Receiving Holy Communion in the hand is preferred, but if receiving on the tongue come at the end of the line to a priest or deacon,only.
- No altar servers.
- No holy water in the fonts.
- No offertory procession.
- Collection baskets will be placed at various areas in the church.
- No holding of hands during the Lord’s Prayer.
- No choirs, only a cantor.
- No nursery.

We will continue to live-stream the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. The suspension of the Sunday Mass obligation remains in effect until Sunday, June 28,2020.

May the Lord keep you safe and healthy,

Fr. Ross

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Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.

More Information on Spiritual Communion

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Welcome to St. Mary on the Hill Parish! We are a stewardship parish and the spiritual home of over 2400 families. We are involved in many different ministries with a strong emphasis on Catholic formation. We are blessed to have a Perpetual Adoration Chapel. We hope you find our website to be informative and a good introduction to our very vibrant faith community. Please know you are always welcome to visit us, pray with us and / or join the parish. Thank you for checking us out.

Parish Mission Statement
St. Mary on the Hill Parish, a Catholic faith community, is committed to caring for God’s people through stewardship. We are bound together by the Eucharist, directed by the Gospel teachings and the teachings of the Church, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and are committed to sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ. As stewards, we will proclaim the Gospel, promote peace and justice, and use our time, talents, and treasure to advance God’s Kingdom.